Friday

Group Usability Meeting

When we are revising our product, my group holds a usability meeting for every new feature in our product so that all of the group members have a chance to give feedback about the feature and its implementation. These usability meetings are useful for me because I see how the feature works before I start documenting it. It's also a good time for me to provide feedback before we start testing the product. I always learn a lot during these usability meetings.

Today, we look at an upgraded soft front panel. I read the feature proposal prior to the meeting, so I have a good idea of what to expect. There have been quite a few cosmetic changes made to this front panel, and the way it works is different, too. I've made notes about some things that were unclear to me so that I can bring them up during the usability meeting. Having a writer present at these usability meetings is valuable because our perspective is unique. We are focused on the user and the user experience; in short, we are the user advocate. During these meetings, I think about how I'm going to explain the feature in the help, and I can point out components that are unnecessarily complicated or counterintuitive.

Attend Deck Party

After a good week at work, I go to the deck party to catch up with some friends.